A short historical fiction piece involving Leonardo of Pisa ("Fibonacci"). Interesting story which features Fibonacci talking briefly about his rabbit-series/sequence, his abacus-duel with Pisa's foremost abacist (and how he wins using the Hindu/Arabic system of counting instead of Roman), a simple code breaking conundrum and the final enshrinement of Fibonacci series in "Liber Abaci".

This is a great story, actually it is a murder mystery with Fibonacci as the prime suspect, and it is written in a very entertaining style:

(quoted from The Jester and the Mathematician)

"Forgive me, Signore," I said, bowing. "I did not intend to cause you alarm. I was intrigued by the object of your perusal."

He smiled. "Nothing to warrant any interest. I was merely counting rabbits."

I looked out upon the pasture again. "Let me assist you. There aren't any rabbits."

"Not now."

"Were there rabbits before?"

"No."

"Are you expecting rabbits shortly?"

"Not really."

I pulled my cap and bells off my head and held them out to him. "I think, Signore, that perhaps these truly belong to you."

He laughed. "Well met, fellow fool. My name is Leonardo, son of Gilielmus Fibonacci."

"I am Forzo, the Fool." It was a name. I've had many.

"I was thinking about rabbits," he continued. "What would happen if you placed a pair in a field such as this and in a month they produced another pair, then that pair reaches maturity in another month while the original pair produces another, and so on?"

"I myself enjoy counting sheep, but only when I am stretched out on a pallet somewhere. Why on earth do you wonder about this?"

"The sequence of numbers interest me."

"Ah. You're a mathematician, then."

"Would that I were. No, merely a merchant's son plying his father's trade..."